Changing Me
by PasswordPassword
Summary: Atton and the Exile go to steal from Vogga. Atton reflects on their relationship and how it's changing them both. Exile/Atton. Oneshot.


**Changing Me**

By PasswordPasswod

don't forget to review

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><p>The Exile lowered her hood after the door to Vogga's complex closed. She sighed, taking what comfort she could get from the relatively clear air.<p>

"You sure you still wanna do this?" Atton asked.

"Your jealousy is flattering Atton, but trust me, you don't have anything to worry about," she said, cocking her head toward the surly crowd of Gran, Trandoshans, Twi'leks and humans gathered around a particularly wrinkled Hutt.

"I'm not jealous. But I am worried about them."

Meetra gave him a smile. _That_ smile. Her smile: gentle compassion tempered by over a decade of pain. That was what he loved her for.

"Atton, look what you've let me do to you. The spineless scoundrel has become a chivalrous jedi knight. Just sit back and try to enjoy yourself, if anyone tries something I have you, and I have the Force."

"You've got this too," he pulled something halfway out of his pocket. Meetra immediately recognized it as her lightsaber.

"Atton… You shouldn't have brought that! What if they search us?"

"Hey, you said I needed more practice at Force persuade."

As if on queue, a Gamorrean lumbered over and said, "You dance now human."

"I'm on in five," she said, lacing her voice with the Force.

"You're on in five," the thug shouldered his axe and wandered off.

"And that, Atton Rand, is how you do that," she said with a grin.

Atton smiled, "If your done showing off, your adoring fans are waiting."

"Got the Juma Juice?"

"Yep."

"Good. Now we've just got to put Vogga to sleep. And remember Atton…" she got up on her toes, and planted a kiss on his lips, "… tonight you can have me all to yourself."

"What did I do to deserve you?"

Meetra grinned again and walked off to the main hall. She theatrically threw off her cloak, revealing the red silk and naked skin of her dancer's outfit. Atton still couldn't believe how stunning she looked. Every detail of her body was flawless, a work of art in its own right. Something Vogga and his cronies didn't fail to recognize. Atton tightened his grip on his blaster as they wooped and hooted at her, but otherwise he restrained his anger.

_Look what you've let me do to you._

Atton sighed. She was right; she had changed him. A year ago, hell, a few _weeks_ ago he would have been cheering with them, now she actually had to tell him to ogle her. She was changing him, changing him deep down. She was turning him into someone else. But he let her, because he trusted her. Because he loved her, and he wanted to be worthy of her love. And that was a tall order: she had with parted the jedi code for him, she'd forgiven him for his unforgivable sins, she'd even broken her jedi celibacy, given him her virginity.

Meetra worked her routine a few times over, gaining a sheen of sweat over the soft lines of her body before Vogga nodded off. Vogga's entourage, however, showed no signs of tiring. Atton hatched a plan. He snuck over to Vogga's attendant, a tall, yellow Twi'lek girl, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, you might want to get these freeloaders out of here. Vogga will be pretty mad if they disturb his sleep."

He barely even needed to use the Force with his words. She blanched at the thought of her master angry and quickly ordered Meetra's admirers to leave.

"That means you too," she said to Atton, "The master needs his rest!"

"But I have to stay!"

"Why!"

"Uh… I'm the veterinarian, I'm here to check on the kath hounds."

"That's not on my schedule. Let me see your license."

"You don't need to see my license."

"I don't need to see your license… but the master needs his sleep, so get out!"

"Your right," Meetra said, "he's not the vet, so you'd better go and make an appointment, Vogga will be very angry otherwise."

"Yes… yes, I have to go!" and she hurried out of the room.

Meetra gave Atton a smirk as she retrieved her cloak from the floor.

"So much to learn," she said, adjusting her hood.

"I guess next time I'll just have to use my natural charm. Worked on you, didn't it?"

She grinned widely, and Atton poured the juma juice into the kath hound's bowl. The beasts darted for the bowl as soon as they smelled the sweet liquid, and just a few minutes they grew shaky-legged and ambled back to Vogga's side to sleep.

"Some species just can't hold their liquor," Atton said as the two started working on the lock.

The lock's simplicity was almost laughable, given how hard it had been to get at. They opened it in a jiffy and set upon the canisters. The contents were actually pretty disappointing: some spare parts, a few implants, a suit of armor…

Meetra stopped, and then slowly withdrew a metal cylinder.

"Atton, its your lucky day," she held a lightsaber.

"How did Vogga get a lightsaber?"

"Salvage I'm sure, lots of jedi and sith went to the vultures during the wars," she said, "Here, try it out," she handed it to him.

"I thought making your lightsaber yourself was a big deal for jedi."

"Atton, name the first thing about your training that's been orthodox, now turn the damn thing on."

Atton flipped the switch and a long yellow blade shot out. Atton tested the blade in the air.

"It's light. It's like swinging nothing," He switched off the lightsaber, "but we don't have time for that right now, if we've got everything worth having we should get out."

"Don't need to tell me twice," and they snuck out of Vogga's warehouse, and into the dark Nar-Shaddaa air.


End file.
